What is your secret?
Options
Replies
-
What seems to be working for me is to not deprive myself of anything. I eat what I want, within reason, as long as I control portions and am willing to "earn" it at the gym. Between that and making smart choices when I have to eat out, I find it's a lifestyle I can actually live with.0
-
People in the community impressed with my weight loss always come up, lean in and ask for the secret.
I look around to make sure nobody is eavesdropping, then say in a low voice....
"Eat Less And Move More" - Shhhh!0 -
The only tip worth noting is to eat at a calorie deficit and exercise. And that's no secret at all. Yet so many ignore it and keep seeking more complicated and misguided approaches.
So why do over 90% of people who attempt to follow this tip fail?
90% fail? I'm a cynic and even I don't think it's that high. I think 100% who do it whole-heartedly will succeed, unless they have a medical impairment.
Whole heartedly is the key. It means being able to measure properly and accurately, and sticking to it over time. A lot of people are in denial about how much food they consume, or how many calories they burn while exercising. Or they try for 1 or 2 weeks and give up. Or restrict calories to an unsustainable level.
Do you think those of us who have had long-lasting success using tried and true methods are part of some special 10%?
Ok the problem with your "solution" as you described it, is that it forces people to ignore signals of hunger by their body and attempt to override them FOR THE REST OF THEIR LIVES.
No, it will cause your currently broken hunger signals to be fixed, probably in a short amount of time, and you will be cured for the REST OF YOUR LIFE. Logging food will be optional, because you will have built an intuition around eating.
Or you can continue making excuses, stay in denial, and keep searching for the magic cure.
No the reason people become obese is because of their choice of foods they eat, not the quantity. Quantity becomes an issue because their body doesn't know how to regulate food that it isn't designed to eat. If they attempt to alter only the quantity, then their body will relentlessly fight them until they give up.
Now if they change their diet, their body will learn how to regulate properly. If they don't change their diet, they will fail in the end.
This is sort of the message that's lost. Everyone thinks in terms of calories, not in terms of the quality of the food and how it will automatically take care of the calorie problem.0 -
yikes some of you are jerks
everyone wants to be a smart guy it seems.
Thin skin on you
Anyway, if you find yourself hungry, exercise more and earn yourself a larger calorie intake for the day. And don't be afraid to have a treat every now and then - just keep it under control. I had a hot chocolate and a small cake today, and nearly half a kilo of beef
0 -
The only tip worth noting is to eat at a calorie deficit and exercise. And that's no secret at all. Yet so many ignore it and keep seeking more complicated and misguided approaches.
So why do over 90% of people who attempt to follow this tip fail?
^^^ Ive been eating at a deficit and havent lost ANY weight. Talk about disappointment. I lost faith in it.0 -
Lots of entertaining replies. :laugh:
The reason this thread generated so much snark is because there are no "secrets". All of these sort of one-liner tips like "eat clean", "drink more water", "no carbs after 6", while they may coincidentally help people lose weight, are largely useless. The only tip worth noting is to eat at a calorie deficit and exercise. And that's no secret at all. Yet so many ignore it and keep seeking more complicated and misguided approaches.
The more discourse we have on how to succeed at this, the more cloudy it gets.
I couldn't agree more!0 -
The only tip worth noting is to eat at a calorie deficit and exercise. And that's no secret at all. Yet so many ignore it and keep seeking more complicated and misguided approaches.
So why do over 90% of people who attempt to follow this tip fail?
90% fail? I'm a cynic and even I don't think it's that high. I think 100% who do it whole-heartedly will succeed, unless they have a medical impairment.
Whole heartedly is the key. It means being able to measure properly and accurately, and sticking to it over time. A lot of people are in denial about how much food they consume, or how many calories they burn while exercising. Or they try for 1 or 2 weeks and give up. Or restrict calories to an unsustainable level.
Do you think those of us who have had long-lasting success using tried and true methods are part of some special 10%?
Ok the problem with your "solution" as you described it, is that it forces people to ignore signals of hunger by their body and attempt to override them FOR THE REST OF THEIR LIVES.
No, it will cause your currently broken hunger signals to be fixed, probably in a short amount of time, and you will be cured for the REST OF YOUR LIFE. Logging food will be optional, because you will have built an intuition around eating.
Or you can continue making excuses, stay in denial, and keep searching for the magic cure.
No the reason people become obese is because of their choice of foods they eat, not the quantity. Quantity becomes an issue because their body doesn't know how to regulate food that it isn't designed to eat. If they attempt to alter only the quantity, then their body will relentlessly fight them until they give up.
Now if they change their diet, their body will learn how to regulate properly. If they don't change their diet, they will fail in the end.
This is sort of the message that's lost. Everyone thinks in terms of calories, not in terms of the quality of the food and how it will automatically take care of the calorie problem.
Not exactly. Many here start filling their calories with plenty of fruits, veggies, meats, and healthier options. Making it easy to stay under their calorie goal and full at the same time. SO many people calorie counting change the quality too.
In the end it is still calories in vs calories out. Hitting pro and fat macros is beneficial to body comp.
People do get fat because of quantity. Not quality - that impacts health yes but body weight? No0 -
The only tip worth noting is to eat at a calorie deficit and exercise. And that's no secret at all. Yet so many ignore it and keep seeking more complicated and misguided approaches.
So why do over 90% of people who attempt to follow this tip fail?
^^^ Ive been eating at a deficit and havent lost ANY weight. Talk about disappointment. I lost faith in it.
Ticker says you have lost 18 pounds. That seems like something. Scale weight does not always show fat loss.0 -
The only tip worth noting is to eat at a calorie deficit and exercise. And that's no secret at all. Yet so many ignore it and keep seeking more complicated and misguided approaches.
So why do over 90% of people who attempt to follow this tip fail?
^^^ Ive been eating at a deficit and havent lost ANY weight. Talk about disappointment. I lost faith in it.
By definition you haven't been eating at a deficit if you haven't lost weight.0 -
one of the secrets.
stop looking for what to EAT to lose weight.
when its phrased that way, what most people are looking for sounds kinda stupid, huh?0 -
Working on a combination of quantity and quality of my food. Switching to lower calorie options where I can, or instead of eating 4 slices of pizza, maybe two. Planning out your meals helps aswell. Another big one is exercising daily0
-
^^^ Ive been eating at a deficit and havent lost ANY weight. Talk about disappointment. I lost faith in it.
How long have you been eating at at deficit? Are you accurately weighing and measuring your food? Are you accurately measuring how many calories you burn?
Most people - even those who desire to lose weight - under estimate how many calories they eat and over estimate how many they burn.
If you truly have been working on losing weight for an extended period of time and you haven't lost weight there's either something wrong with your calculations or a medical reason. Seek more help.0 -
The only tip worth noting is to eat at a calorie deficit and exercise. And that's no secret at all. Yet so many ignore it and keep seeking more complicated and misguided approaches.
So why do over 90% of people who attempt to follow this tip fail?
90% fail? I'm a cynic and even I don't think it's that high. I think 100% who do it whole-heartedly will succeed, unless they have a medical impairment.
Whole heartedly is the key. It means being able to measure properly and accurately, and sticking to it over time. A lot of people are in denial about how much food they consume, or how many calories they burn while exercising. Or they try for 1 or 2 weeks and give up. Or restrict calories to an unsustainable level.
Do you think those of us who have had long-lasting success using tried and true methods are part of some special 10%?
Ok the problem with your "solution" as you described it, is that it forces people to ignore signals of hunger by their body and attempt to override them FOR THE REST OF THEIR LIVES.
No, it will cause your currently broken hunger signals to be fixed, probably in a short amount of time, and you will be cured for the REST OF YOUR LIFE. Logging food will be optional, because you will have built an intuition around eating.
Or you can continue making excuses, stay in denial, and keep searching for the magic cure.
No the reason people become obese is because of their choice of foods they eat, not the quantity. Quantity becomes an issue because their body doesn't know how to regulate food that it isn't designed to eat. If they attempt to alter only the quantity, then their body will relentlessly fight them until they give up.
Now if they change their diet, their body will learn how to regulate properly. If they don't change their diet, they will fail in the end.
This is sort of the message that's lost. Everyone thinks in terms of calories, not in terms of the quality of the food and how it will automatically take care of the calorie problem.
Not exactly. Many here start filling their calories with plenty of fruits, veggies, meats, and healthier options. Making it easy to stay under their calorie goal and full at the same time. SO many people calorie counting change the quality too.
In the end it is still calories in vs calories out. Hitting pro and fat macros is beneficial to body comp.
People do get fat because of quantity. Not quality - that impacts health yes but body weight? No
Not all the healthier options are all that healthy. Some people have intolerances to some of those as well.
Doesn't seem counterintuitive that a human body is so amazing and complex yet in millions of people it is completely unable to regulate their caloric intake? Why can't the body just say I'M NOT HUNGRY, STOP FEEDING ME! Because there is some external influence, that's why. No way this is a psychological problem.0 -
well for 1.......stop eating 3 hour before you go to bed so if you go to bed at 10 stop eating at seven. so you have plenty of time to work it off. ortherwise it goes to fat. and if im right you dont want that!!!
0 -
The only tip worth noting is to eat at a calorie deficit and exercise. And that's no secret at all. Yet so many ignore it and keep seeking more complicated and misguided approaches.
So why do over 90% of people who attempt to follow this tip fail?
People fail because they think eating a clementine before bed or a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar before meals is going to make them lose weight.0 -
Not all the healthier options are all that healthy. Some people have intolerances to some of those as well.
Doesn't seem counterintuitive that a human body is so amazing and complex yet in millions of people it is completely unable to regulate their caloric intake? Why can't the body just say I'M NOT HUNGRY, STOP FEEDING ME! Because there is some external influence, that's why. No way this is a psychological problem.
That kind of goes without saying. I wouldn't tell a person allergic to nuts to have a handful of pistachios am I?
The body sure can tell you that. Some foods are more filling than others. I can down a pint of ice cream no problem, but getting in that many calories in celery is going to make an interesting challenge. Making healthier decisions can make a calorie deficit much easier. But I have seen many people lose plenty of weight eating empty calories, but staying under their calorie goal. That is what it boils down to for fat loss0 -
I eat a little snack every two hours and the inches start coming off!0
-
I started looking more at nutrients, rather than just calories, and aim to give my body what it needs! If I get the right amount of fresh fruits and veggies, whole grains, lean protein, and healthy fats, then I don't want junk. :-)
And when I do want junk, I try to make a healthier substitution. If I want ice cream, I go for Greek yogurt. If I want a gooey cinnamon roll, I eat oatmeal with a tsp brown sugar, a tsp butter, and lots of cinnamon. If I want chips, I try air-popped popcorn with chili powder.
Then sometimes when I really really want fast food, I get the kids meal.
And then rarely, I just give in and have a double bacon cheeseburger, large fries, and large coke! And I enjoy every bite! And afterward, I feel yucky and remember "Oh yeah, this is why I eat healthy foods." ;-)0 -
Because they fail to follow through with the actions necessary to reach their goals.The only tip worth noting is to eat at a calorie deficit and exercise. And that's no secret at all. Yet so many ignore it and keep seeking more complicated and misguided approaches.
So why do over 90% of people who attempt to follow this tip fail?
They lose motivation and stop doing what works 100% of the time.
What works, works.
People just stop doing what works.
People fail the process by quitting. So, don't quit!
There again is the "secret".0 -
The only tip worth noting is to eat at a calorie deficit and exercise. And that's no secret at all. Yet so many ignore it and keep seeking more complicated and misguided approaches.
So why do over 90% of people who attempt to follow this tip fail?
Because they don't stick with it. They give up. They have a bad day, turn it into a bad week, decide to start again "next month", etc. I tried for years to lose weight but it wasn't until I kept at it for several months that I finally succeeded.0
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 391.9K Introduce Yourself
- 43.5K Getting Started
- 259.8K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.7K Food and Nutrition
- 47.3K Recipes
- 232.3K Fitness and Exercise
- 400 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.4K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 152.8K Motivation and Support
- 7.9K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.3K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.4K MyFitnessPal Information
- 23 News and Announcements
- 988 Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.4K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions